For my final outfit post of 2015, I had sincerely hopped and planned to bring you a sneak preview of the gorgeous 1950s style dress from Unique Vintage that I will be sporting this year for New Year's Eve.

Alas though we've been getting pummeled with snow day in and day out for over a week now and unfortunately that does not make for very safe (particularly for the camera and lens themselves) shooting conditions. Thus, for the time being, we just have to wait for a dry day to capture that outfit on and then I'll post my final festive ensemble of the holiday season asap (so excited!).

Aside from hampering our shooting abilities, I do enjoy the snow, which is soothingly peaceful to watch tumble to the ground during the brief hours of daylight one experiences in early winter. It has been a relaxing counterpoint to the breakneck hecticness of this whole entire month.

As mentioned in this post back on the 11th, one of things that had been filling our days a great deal as of late was the search for new (to us) vehicle. I'm happy to report that after about three weeks of super intense research, scouting and plenty of test driving, we finally found "the one".

Our beautiful new set of wheels (which I'll try to get some photos to share on social media and/or here as well once the snow lets up!) is a silvery grey hued 2012 Buick Enclave with only 55,000 kilometers on it that it is in like new shape.

We got a very reasonable (financed) priced on it that include a trade in with our old car. This vehicle is everything and more that we've both been dreaming of for years and we are so elated with our choice and the abundance of room that we finally have.

The first couple of times we grocery and Christmas shopped in it almost felt surreal after so many years with a teeny, tiny amount of cargo space. We hope to be able to keep this vehicle for several years at least and can hardly wait to continue experiencing the many, many ways it will help and enrich our lives - very much including when we take road trips like last month's jaunt to Vancouver.

We did not have our new car yet then (in fact, that trip was the final straw, so to speak, in leading us to decide that the time had finally come to invest in a new set of wheels with a much larger cargo capacity) and it was, as always, a legitimate challenge to get two suitcases and a small array of other needed items into our car. Those days are now a thing of the past though and I'm so excited for the next time we get to travel - it will probably feel like we have a small moving van by comparison.

The photos in today's post were one of a couple of shoots that we were able to take this time around in Vancouver. As mentioned here before (don't want to veer into broken record territory :)), this was a work trip for Tony and he put in very long hours on it most days, which meant that the brief time we had together was usually long after the sun had set. On two days however, we managed to squeeze in some time to not only take pictures, but also do so sightseeing, visiting, shopping, and exploring together.

On this particular afternoon, we made a beeline for Science World, a longstanding pillar of scientific education and fun in this province. I hadn't been since I was about 14 years old and Tony had never been to this particular science center, so given that we're both massive science fans, it seemed like an ideal outing. We had a blast, saw all of the exhibits, and even grabbed a few snaps outside before heading indoors (when we arrived), as the light was fading fast already and we knew it would be as good as gone when we existed.

This is a cozy, classic outfit of the type I usually wear when traveling, especially if a lot of walking is going to be involved. Don't let the red wall behind me in most of these snaps fool you, my sweater is in fact a very pumpkin-y shade of orange, not crimson, but aside from that, things are true to life in terms of how the rest of the ensemble appeared that day. Normally we wouldn't shoot against such a similar hued background, but it was just about our only option in that immediate area, so when in Rome - or Vancouver... :)

My dears, it is genuinely hard to believe that we have very nearly come to the end of another year. In less than two days time we'll be finishing our dates with a number 16 and celebrating all the possibilities, joys, and promises that the new year always holds in store for us.

With all my heart, I want to thank each and every one for your for your awesome support of my blog, Etsy shop, and social media accounts throughout the year. In ways big and small, you motivate, encourage, inspire, and delight me day after day, week after week, month after and month, and ultimately, year and year and I could not do what I do to the same degree without you.

Whatever the future holds in store for us next year, we'll face and celebrate it together. We'll laugh, we'll cry, we'll share and we will continue to grow as individuals and as a community alike.

I don't know what 2016 will deliver, but I do know that I'm champing at the bit to experience it and can hardly wait to share much of what transpires in my life here with all of you.

65 comments:

Thank you very much, lovely lady. We're elated about it and are already noticing the many ways that it's making our daily lives easier and more enjoyable. It was an investment for sure, but a thoroughly worthwhile one.

Thank you very much, sweet dear. Hard to believe another year has come to an end. It was awesome to share so much - including our blog interview here - with you this year. I really look forward to seeing what 2016 has in store for both of us, our blogs and our Etsy shops.

You are such a lovely person, Piper. Thank you very, very much. I sincerely appreciate and enjoy all of your comments throughout the year and am equally excited to bring you plenty of delightful new posts in 2016. As always, if there's anything in particular that you might like to see covered here, please don't hesitate to ask.

New car? Very exciting! It sounds like your hot wheels are definitely better suited to your lifestyle than the old ones.I love this outfit. The subdued suiting is very practical, but also very cute, with the pumpkin colored sweater, green gloves, and feathered hat. It just seems like the perfect balance for some chilly fall or winter weather.

It really is!!! While we'd felt for quite a long time (years) that a larger vehicle was needed, the actual decisive to buy one didn't come about until around the start of December, so it was all rather exciting (and exhausting - but in a good way) to research, shop for, and ultimately buy one is less than a month. We're pleased as punch with our new set of wheels and are already seeing noticeable ways that it's making our lives easier.

Thank you very much for your absolutely lovely comment. I hope that you and your honey are having a fantastic New Year's celebration!

What a fabulous outfit, I love the classic navy paired with the rusty orange. The green gloves are a great accent, I'm even more glad now that I just picked up a green pair for myself in a recent glove binge on etsy over the holidays! Your hat here is beautiful, I love the feathers, especially with the sun behind you so you see how they are multicolored! Congratulations on the new ride :)

Thank you very much, sweet Bianca. I had a feeling - given our mutual passion for this autumnal sort of colour palette - that you'd really like the hues here, too.

How exciting that you picked up a pair of green gloves. I really look forward to seeing them on your blog, if you share them in outfits there with us. I find that green gloves go with a surprising number of outfits, particularly when floral/leaf prints are involved.

My first thought when I saw the first picture of you was that you looked like a lady on a trip, waiting for the train perhaps, in her traveling ensemble and sensible shoes. Then I read on, and yes, you were on a little trip!

Happy New Year. Enjoy your new vehicle and I hope you have many happy trips in it.

Jessica, what a natty hat that is! I love the feathers, the colour is super on you. Very much suits your colouring. I nearly bought a pair of gloves just like yours yesterday in a charity shop, but it turned out they were far too small for my Amazonian hands. I am a little envious about the snow, as it has rained here solidly for about a month. Not great for shooting outfits either, so I am going to be forced to be a bit creative with my upcoming blog posts. Anyway, just wanted to say again how grateful I am that we have met, and to give you and Tony my very best wishes for 2016 dear friend! xx

Not in the slightest, no. Damp weather in general does not work well for shooting, and is definitely another point in favour of summer. Hopefully we'll both get at least a few dry days this winter though. Chilly though it may be, I enjoy getting in some layer (and winter coat) filled outfits and have quite a few in mind for the next three - four months, so long as my health and Mother Nature are keen on cooperating. :)

With all my heart, I sincerely feel the same way too and want you to know how touched I am by your beautiful words, my dear friend.

Here's to an amazing, happy, and very enjoyable (not to mention vintage filled) 2016 on both our ends!

Jess, what a beautiful outfit! You look smashing my sweet friend. Congrats on the new set of wheels. Good choice. Especially with the snow. I can imagine Annie likes all the room too. 2016, is just days away. So in the snow sweet Annie will play. Stella will sit in the window basking in the sun while wondering just what is going on? That's it my dear! Happy New Year 2016! I so look forward to sharing it with you and Tony. Xx

Jess, what a beautiful outfit! You look smashing my sweet friend. Congrats on the new set of wheels. Good choice. Especially with the snow. I can imagine Annie likes all the room too. 2016, is just days away. So in the snow sweet Annie will play. Stella will sit in the window basking in the sun while wondering just what is going on? That's it my dear! Happy New Year 2016! I so look forward to sharing it with you and Tony. Xx

Thank you very much, dear Christy. I'm soooo elated about our new car. It's roomy, beautiful, looks brand new inside and out (it only had one owner before us and they took excellent care of it), and suits our current lifestyle a million times better.

Yes, ma'am, Annie really enjoys the snow (we don't have a fenced yard for her to go out in, so her snow frolicking happens on her twice daily walks and/or dog park visits) and Stella does, too, from her inside vantage point, where she can happily gaze out at the falling flakes for ages on end. It's always beautiful to watch the seasons through the eyes of ones pets.

Happiest wishes for a beautiful 2016, my sweet friend. I hope that it's a terrific year for you and your loved ones.

I love how you highlighted the green in your hat with your gloves.Lovely to have a trip to Vancouver. One of my favourite cities!How exciting to finally get your new car. I wish you much joy and excitement next year.Xo Jazzy Jack

You're such a dear, Jazzy Jack. Thank you very much. I wholeheartedly hope that 2015 rocks for you and your family, too. I have a really positive gut feeling about the coming year and hope its an excellent one for both of us.

It can be hard finding spots when you're travelling - but I think you did well, this wall is a great backdrop if you ask me. I've got a similar conundrum to quickly get picks of my NYE outfit later and decided a wall would just have to do :) glad to hear you found your car! Goes to show how long it's been since I replied to your message; this festive season has been so busy! And it doesn't stop yet, as ive got a Gatsby party to get to later :D can't wait to see your dress. Have a wonderful New Year's Eve xx

It really and truly has. Hands down December was the busiest month of the whole year for us. I think the closest I came to getting any rest was the drive home from Vancouver back at the start of the month, if one can count that as such. :D

Thank you very much for your wonderfully nice comment about this outfit and our backdrop find. I hope that you were able to unearth a great wall of your own to shoot your NYE outfit against. I can hardly wait to see it!

Thank you sweetly, dear Tanith. I do as well. My folks gave me this hat for Christmas 2013, I believe it was, and it instantly became one of my most frequently sported cold weather toppers (I believe this is now its second blog appearance and very likely not its last!). I love that even with the coloured feathers, its relatively easy to partner with a wide range of outfits, particularly those on the (Northern Hemisphere) fall colour palette.

Thank you for the beautiful wishes, lovely Christina, and very much so for each and every one of your sweet, encouraging, terrific comments over the past year. They mean so much to me and always brighten my day.

Happy New Year dear Jessica! Congrats on your new car! I had the same feeling about the car we purchased 2 years ago! So much necessary room (especially when traveling and thrifting=can get furniture home) and the sense of making the right life decision.

And now for clothing talk: I LOVE the color combination of the green and pumpkin orange with your navy pieces. Such a lovely ensemble!!!

Tony and I were talking about that very point recently. At long, long last it won't be a challenge to get anything (no joke) bigger than a small side lamp or super tiny coffee table home on the furniture front. Not that we need a lot in that department (thankfully, we don't at present), but one never knows what the future holds in store or if we need to replace something. In general it's just a huge weight off finally ample cargo space for all kinds of daily needs and of course for road trips, too. It's awesome that you feel the same way about your car and that its has been such a boon to your life, too.

Thank you very much for your great comment. Have an absolutely fantastic New Year!!!

What a beautiful outfit, you look simply wonderful. I am wishing you the very best for the year to come. You deserve so much happiness, you really do. You are one of the loveliest people I've come across. How much better would the world be if there were more of you in it. Xx

With every last ounce of my heart, dear Emily, thank you for the incredibly beautiful - and deeply touching - words. They brought a smile to my face and (happy) tears to my eyes. Consider my December 31st officially made because of your thoughtful comment.

Thank you very much for the splendidly sweet compliment, honey. I'm a very, very firm believer in the fact that something doesn't have to be genuine vintage to look the vintage part and couldn't fathom my wardrobe not being the mix of actual vintage, repro, 80s does 40s and 50s, and vintage appropriate pieces that it is. I think I'd feel like a chef who couldn't access about 75% of the world's ingredients if I couldn't pick and choose from those different categories to create the sorts of vintage looking ensembles that I so adore sporting.

Big hugs & the happiest of New Year's wishes to you and your loved ones!♥ Jessica

It really is! This is only the second car we've ever owned and it was ever bit as exciting to purchase our new one as it was the first time around (in a way, almost more so, knowing that we were finally getting a larger, newer vehicle).

I hope that your holiday season is continuing to go wonderfully and that you're having a terrific New Year's celebration, lovely lady!

That's such a lovely compliment, thank you very much, Megan. I'm happy to report that I'm definitely enjoying a very fun (and very snowy!) holiday season, complete with a terrific (delicious food filled) New Year's celebration. I hope that your festivities are going swimmingly, too.

I will sound so boring, because I say the same over and over, but your hat is amazing. Every hat you show us makes my heart skip a beat damn! I wish I could see the back of it so if you could, please, next time you photograph a hat, please let me see the back/top of it!

Hi sweet dear, thank you very much for your lovely comment and shared enthusiasm for "all the vintage hats". They're such an important mainstay of my wardrobe and I'm delighted to know that you enjoy seeing them here as well.

You can see this hat in a bit more detail (the back is fairly basic looking, but I can try and remember to get a shot of it the next time I wear this hat on camera - thanks for asking!) in this earlier 2015 outfit post: http://www.chronicallyvintage.com/2015/10/the-1940s-fall-outfit-that-vintage.html

I hope that all is well on your end and that 2016 is off to a splendid start for you, Ines!

That's wonderful to know! I wish you luck with your hunt and hope you'll enjoy yours as much as I do mine. I have a few green pairs and particularly enjoy how well I find they often partner with floral print (and sometimes plaid/tartan, too) garments.

What a lovely outfit, I simply ADORE that sweater. And I love you have paired it with navy blue and green gloves, fabulous. And I am looking forward to what you will come up with in this brand new year. Congratulations on your new car. It sounds nice, not many years and neither km. Do share a picture. Have a lovely day, dear. :)

Hi sweet Sanne, will do for sure! Just as soon as the snow stops falling and I have a bit of time. Perhaps we'll even do a shoot with it. Not the most vintage of looking cars, no, but it is a very classic brand and to that end, I've been thinking that later this year I might do a post on the history of Buick. Could be fun, especially for any car buffs amongst my readers.

I hope that the first week of the new year is off to a splendid start for you and that all is well on your end.

congrats to the new car!!! more cargo space sound great!!!love love love your ensemble for its cosy simplicity! and tony topped himself with this pics - the red wall ist very cool - but the light shining thru the feathers of the hat is genius!!!!!<3 <3 <3 xxxxx

You have such a good eye, dear Beate! It is indeed and really captures Tony's passion for artistic (and usually very flattering) lighting in his beautiful images.

Hard to believe that we're already into the new year and that these snaps were taken over a month ago. How time flies! I love this hats to pieces (this is, I believe, its second time on the ol' blog) and wouldn't be the least bit surprised if it showed up here again in 2016.

Huge hugs & the happiest of wishes for this exciting new year!♥ Jessica

Thank you very much, sweet Janey. I love them soooo much as well. They were a local flea market find back in 2012, I believe it was (had to think about that one for a moment and was subsequently amazed so much time had already passed since then) and cost a mere song. They're well made, super classic looking, and have served me extremely well ever since. They come on almost every trip with me, as they're great walking shoes. Definitely one of those pairs you just know you'll use until they're on their very last legs (pun not really intended :)).

Tons of hugs & joyful wishes to both you and Pat for each day of this beautiful year!

Oh how I am loving your outfit! All the different colors work so well together and combine to be perfection! You have such a gift and eye for doing that and I love the inspiration! Thank you! Also, a hearty congratulations on your new car! Those are always so fun! I can't wait to see what you put together and create in 2016!Blessings!g

What a wonderfully lovely comment (and compliment), Gina dear. Thank you so much! I'm delighted to know that you find my passion for colour combinations inspiring. I've got a couple of really fun ones coming down the pipeline soon that I hope you'll enjoy as well.

I love, love , love the hat and the gloves. What a great present! Very clever of you to match the green in the feathers with the gloves. This is a super outfit. I'm glad you have found a car that suits your needs. Here is to many exciting journeys in it!

Thank you very much, my darling friend. It really was! My mom and step-dad have given me a number of vintage gifts over the years and always nail my tastes so well. It's really sweet and so appreciated.

Thank you very much on both points, Lorena. We're still seriously floating on cloud nine about our new set of wheels, which is coming in extremely hand for the around-the-house DIY and organization jobs that Tony and I are throwing ourselves into this week and next.

I am so happy for you and Tony that you have found and purchased you new car! It really is enjoyable driving a vehicle that you love.

We bought a new 2012 van in December 2011 after two weeks of intense shopping. It was our first brand new vehicle of our marriage - nearly 26 years into our marriage at that time. We still revel in the joy of having this lovely spacious vehicle.

I hope you get a chance to take another glorious trip in your new car in the near future.

Thank you sweetly, dear Hope. How exciting that you got to purchase a brand new car! We gave serious consideration to such, and were not opposed to it, but this gently used 2012 beauty fit all our needs and gave us far more for our budget than most other comparable (new) vehicles, so it just made perfect sense to go with it. We're entirely in love and have even said that when the time goes to replace it (which hopefully won't be for many years!!!), this vehicle is so ideal for us that we might very well just get another (new) version of it then.

That's very kind of you to say. Thank you! I hope that we're able to as well. With winter out in full force here and so many expenses as of late, I don't foresee any big trips in the near future, but hopefully at least a long weekend getaway or two will be in the cards for 2016 - and there's always the potential that a work trip closer to home with arise for Tony again and I can tag along for that. I so adore when such a chance arises!

I'm Jessica, a lifelong lover of all things antique and vintage, especially those from the 1930s, 40s and 50s.

This blog is my visual scrapbook in which I record and share my thoughts on the multitude of sources, people and products that inspire and feed a modern gal's addiction to the past. I also post about the vintage clothes, hairstyles and make-up looks that I adore wearing.

Stay a spell and have a blast as we explore the incomparably fantastic world of vintage history and fashion together.

All images used on this site are credited to their original posters/creators/sources,
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PS...I just wanted to say thank you very much for visiting and to tell you that you're equal parts awesome and beautiful.